Preached by Rev. William Min
Isaiah 40: 12-17 & 21-26
12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand
and marked off the heavens with a span,
enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure,
and weighed the mountains in scales
and the hills in a balance?
13 Who has directed the spirit of the Lord,
or as his counselor has instructed him?
14 Whom did he consult for his enlightenment,
and who taught him the path of justice?
Who taught him knowledge,
and showed him the way of understanding?
15 Even the nations are like a drop from a bucket,
and are accounted as dust on the scales;
see, he takes up the isles like fine dust.
16 Lebanon would not provide fuel enough,
nor are its animals enough for a burnt offering.
17 All the nations are as nothing before him;
they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.
21 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
and spreads them like a tent to live in;
23 who brings princes to naught,
and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.
24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows upon them, and they wither,
and the tempest carries them off like stubble.
25 To whom then will you compare me,
or who is my equal? says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high and see:
Who created these?
He who brings out their host and numbers them,
calling them all by name;
because he is great in strength,
mighty in power,
not one is missing.
• • •
Matthew 6:5-13
5 “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6 But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
7 “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “Pray then in this way:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And do not bring us to the time of trial,
but rescue us from the evil one.
*Some manuscripts add “For the kingdom and the power and the glory are yours forever. Amen.”
The beginning of a New Year always brings about a hope for a kind of fresh start. Yet we often struggle with things like New Years Resolution because they do not always stick! Even though I have never been able to follow through on any of my resolutions, I still wanted to begin this year meaningfully. Last year my wife Tori and I had read through the Bible (I think my wife read through it twice in fact!). I wanted to do this again and have committed to reading 5 chapters of the Bible a day (this way you would finish the Bible in roughly 6 months.) On top of that I felt that I was being invited to fast from social media (which can be quite challenging for a millennial!) and spend more time in devotion and in prayer. I would invite you to think about how you could start this year meaningfully as well… It is never too late!
One of my hopes for this year is that we rethink about what it is to pray, how it is we pray, and why it is we pray.
In the passage from Matthew, Jesus warns us to take care of how we pray. Instead of simply doing it out of some form of religious obligation, or as a way to prove to others (and even ourselves) how “holy” we truly are… Jesus invites us to take prayer seriously. He says “…whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (v.6) I believe what He’s trying to say is that we ought to value prayer as much as we value our deepest passions, for what we care about most we do in secret. (Perhaps you can remember the last time you wrote a love letter in secret?)
Jesus then says “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (vv.7-8) This is a challenging one for me because I know exactly what I should be saying when I pray but often pray words that I do not really think about! Jesus wants us to take care with the words we choose when praying to Him. Rather than praying the same prayer everyday (though they are not said in vain!) Jesus’ invitation to us is to be more intentional and present when we pray.
One of the greatest gifts that Christ gave us is what we know as the “Lord’s Prayer”. It is something that Christians have recited a billion times week after week, but not often really thinking about what it is saying. The power and significance of the Lord’s Prayer is that essentially covers all the bases for what it is we ought to (and need to) be praying about.
Simon Weil, in his book “Waiting For God” says that the Lord’s Prayer can be broken down into six petitions as follows:
1. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be they name
2. Thy kingdom come
3. Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven
4. Give us this day our daily bread
5. And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us
6. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil
Over the next 7 weeks we will be looking at each of these petitions… with the seventh week looking at the line “For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever.”
The first line “Our Father, who art in heaven” is significant because it reminds us that all things, even our prayers, begin with God. This prayer begins with adoration and worship. It is what sets the tone for our prayers, our faith, and for all of life and creation. It is the embodiment of the first of Jesus’ greatest commandments: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy should and with all thy mind and with all thy strength” (Mark 12:30).
Prayer is powerful not only because it is how we speak with the living God, but because it allows works to open up our hearts and live to what God is doing. Prayer, as much as it is “lifted up” to God plays a significant role on the ground: in our lives. When we pray the words “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be thy name” we are doing MORE than simply stating the obvious. We are being REMINDED of this truth.
These words are calling us to think upon the character of God and what He has done. It is an invitation to contemplate on the Lord of all creation who resides in heaven and who’s name is Holy. In other words, as we pray and as we live… PAY ATTENTION to God. Just as you would pay attention to every detail and hang on to every word on someone you adored… so we are to ponder and think and look at God.
Prayer is meant to shift our focus from the trials and distractions and busyness of this world so that we can not only turn but be intentionally, thoughtfully and wholly engaged with God. To look upon him and be present and attentive. To bask in who He is. To adore Him. In other words… Prayer begins not with you. It begins with Him.
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams says this…
“Understand what you’re talking about when you’re talking about God, this is serious, this is the most wonderful and frightening reality that we could imagine, more wonderful and frightening than we can imagine.”
Jesus understood this. As we pay attention to how the Lord’s Prayer begins, we are reminded that in so little words that we ought to take seriously who we are speaking with.
To utter the words “hallowed be your name” is to remind ourselves and to those around us that indeed God is Holy, Holy, Holy. That the Lord is far beyond. He is the beginning of all things. We get a glimpse of the greatness of God in the passage from Isaiah that begins with “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?” (v. 12) Who indeed?
Pay attention to who you’re talking to! Take prayer seriously!
Prayer begins with God. This is the right attitude and mindset we ought to bring every time we pray the Lord’s Prayer, and every other prayer we say. Get it straight in your heart, mind, soul and spirit! You have the ability, freedom and great honour to be able to talk to the God. That’s a pretty big deal.
Though we continue to have confidence that God hears and answers all of our prayers according to His will and time… Though we are reminded that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groans too deep for words and that we are never left to our own devices… Though we know that the grace of God is sufficient to cover us in all our needs, whether we pray for them or not… Jesus says to His disciples “Pray then in this way…” for a reason.
As you pray through this year, may you continue to grow in your knowledge of God’s amazing grace, in the peace of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit… That you would allow your prayers to not only be worshipfully given to God but give you eyes to see, engage and participate in all that God is doing in you and those around you. And that your prayers would continue to open and shape your heart and get them in sync with God’s.
I know that this year I have to pray more…
As we pray together, may we begin with our loving, heavenly and holy Father.
Amen.